JUGS Challenge 35

Wow, I am so sad that May is almost over because that means my Featured Designer gig with the wonderful JUGS girls is over!  But hey, there were FIVE Saturdays in May, so I actually got an extra week to play! This week it is sweet Alicia’s turn to host Wild Card Week, and she has chosen to highlight dry embossing.  I chose this sketch from Karen:

and I used Lesley’s lovely colors, just like in the card shown here.  (Since this obviously was not going to be a 10-minute card, I made another one for her challenge! :D) So here we go:

Now, on to how I did my dry embossing.  Almost all of us have some sort of embossing machine, whether is be a Big Shot or Cuttlebug, but I wanted to go back to basics and challenge myself to do it the old-fashioned way!  Okay, so I still used my Big Shot, but I made my own stencil by cutting out two SU Swirls & Scribbles diecuts from cheapie cardstock, then gluing the negative portions together, making one thicker piece.  Before I began embossing, however, I rubbed a piece of waxed paper over the BACK of  my card front…..makes the embossing easier!  I then placed the stencil under my card front, holding both over my light table (read:  my window) and using a stylus, I traced the design, pressing into the cardstock and embossing as I went along.  Now remember, your embossed piece will be reversed when you flip it over, so make sure you have your design going in the way you want it!!!  It takes a little practice, and perhaps I should have done it again, but here’s a closeup:

I love the fact that I can have embossing “stencils” for any diecut I own!!!  I will tell you that it is much easier to emboss on Whisper White cardstock than colored cardstock.  One, colored cardstock is difficult to see through, and two, it is thicker!  So I just stuck with the white for my first try!  I did use my Big Shot to emboss the Chocolate Chip flower centers with the Perfect Polkadots EF, though!!  This card also qualifies for the City Crafter Challenge 6, to use one ribbon, two papers and three flowers!   Oh, and here’s the inside view:

So now you need to go check out what the other JUGS designers have come up with!  I am sure their creations are stellar this week!  Get all the details on the JUGS blog and play along!  And a big THANK YOU to the JUGS designers for having me along for the month of May!

• Stamps:  Teeny Tiny Wishes, Best Wishes & More
• Paper:  Chocolate Chip, Whisper White, Soft Suede, Thoroughly Modern and Tea Party DP
• Ink:  Pretty in Pink, Chocolate Chip
• Acc:  Big Shot, Swirls & Scribbles Die, Waxed Paper, Stylus, Eyelet Border Punch, Satin Ribbon, Small Oval Punch, Dimensionals, Pearls, Perfect PolkaDots EF; 1/2” Circle Punch